All five living former U.S. Presidents to attend hurricane relief concert

The George H. W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation announced Wednesday a hurricane relief concert at Texas A&M's Reed Arena on Oct. 21 featuring former Presidents Obama, Bush 43, Clinton, Bush 41 and Carter joined by top music performers.

Author:
Aaron Alcozer

Published:
10:42 PM EDT October 4, 2017

The George H. W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation announced Wednesday a hurricane relief concert at Texas A&M’s Reed Arena on Oct. 21 featuring former Presidents Obama, Bush 43, Clinton, Bush 41 and Carter joined by top music performers.

All ticket sales and other proceeds from the “Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal” concert will go to the special hurricane recovery effort launched last month by the five living former U.S. presidents.

The show at Reed Arena will feature Grammy winners and producers of 43 #1 hits, ALABAMA, joined by Texas legends The Gatlin Brothers, four-time Grammy winner Lyle Lovett, and Robert Earl Keen; legendary Grammy-award winning, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer ‘Soul Man’ Sam Moore; gospel legend Yolanda Adams; season three winner of NBC’s “The Voice,” Cassadee Pope; and rising country artist Stephanie Quayle, who Rolling Stone Country called one of the “Ten New Country Music Artists You Need to Know.” Country music star Lee Greenwood will emcee the event.

“The 43rd President and I, and our distinguished colleagues in this 'One America Appeal,' are very grateful to these wonderful performers — some of them old friends, some of them new — for giving their time and talent to help the urgent cause of hurricane recovery in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean,” said President Bush 41. “It’s important that those affected by these devastating storms know that, even if the path to recovery feels like a road that goes on forever, we’re with them for the long haul."

The One America Appeal was launched Sept. 7 when all five living former presidents aired a joint PSA on the NFL’s regular season opening broadcast and launched a website accepting tax-deductible donations at OneAmericaAppeal.org.

Originally, the former presidents were inspired to come together in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, which unleashed devastating flooding that threatened hundreds of thousands of Texans — and spurred thousands of first responders and neighbors into action.

The effort has since expanded twice to include recovery efforts in Florida from Hurricane Irma, and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands from Hurricane Maria.

A special restricted account has been established through the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation to collect and distribute donations to every dollar given goes to assist hurricane victims. Donations will be distributed to:

Houston Harvey Relief Fund, focusing on the greater Houston region

Rebuild Texas Fund, assisting hurricane-ravaged communities across the state

“Thanks to our very generous underwriters, we can once again state that every dollar we raise through ticket sales for our 'Deep From the Heart' show will go to our designated hurricane recovery funds,” said David Jones, CEO of the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation. “So grab your friends and join us at Reed Arena on October 21st for what promises to be a truly unforgettable night – that also helps a lot of Americans."